The eternal barn find: M. Michel's Citroën HY cattle truck
For 25 years, I passed it on my bike tours in southern Burgundy, this Citroën HY "Bétaillère" (cattle truck), in a small village, right on the side of the road.
I never had a camera with me, and each time I thought: But next time I'll take it with me, otherwise the car will suddenly be gone.
Now I've finally done it. The photos are in the box.
And then suddenly there was the owner, M. Michel, an agriculturist for 50 years. He drove the car until he was in his eighties, patiently chauffeuring his cattle to the other side of the small but steep regional pass, to one of his remote pastures.
The special Heuliez body for transporting animals still makes a solid impression today, while the Citroën itself now looks a little frail.
M. Michel is not very talkative, but he did manage to elicit a few things: The HY type car (built 1948 -1981) is a later example and it is a petrol engine.
With a grand gesture, M. Michel hints that this is why he was a drunk - the car, that is. Not a diesel. Whether the 98,000 km on the speedometer are the first cannot be determined.
Citroën HY Bétaillère, a classic "rural sleeping beauty". It doesn't always have to be Villa d'Este, Champagny-sous-Uxelles is also quite nice.
